The following is a summary of “Evaluating the causal effect of circulating proteome on the risk of osteoarthritis-related traits’’ published in the August 2023 issue of Rheumatology by Zhang et al. 

Researchers performed a retrospective study to discover circulating proteins causally linked to osteoarthritis-related traits through a Mendelian randomization (MR)-based approach.

The study utilized extensive two-sample Mendelian randomization to assess the impact of numerous plasma proteins on 12 osteoarthritis-related traits. Bayesian colocalization, Steiger filtering, variant assessments, and expression trait mapping were employed to enhance the credibility of MR results. They also examined protein interactions, pathways, and drug target potential for deeper insights and therapeutic opportunities in osteoarthritis.

The study discovered numerous circulating proteins with potential causal effects on OA-related traits, most of which were druggable or already targeted by drugs.

The findings revealed MR analysis of numerous plasma proteins linked to OA-related traits, uncovering protein-based mechanisms and potential therapeutic targets for OA. 

Source: ard.bmj.com/content/early/2023/08/17/ard-2023-224459?rss=1